Super Bowl XXXV (Ravens vs. Giants): An Ultimate Recount of the Game

Today we have Super Bowl XXXV, which was held on January 28, 2001, at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida between the first-time AFC champion Baltimore Ravens and the three-time NFC champion New York Giants.

As always, we have a pop quiz, and then homework at the end of the episode. The pop quiz question for today is: This Super Bowl set combined records for the most of what two categories? The answer will come at the end of the podcast.

Prelude to Super Bowl XXXV

All the talk about the 2000 Baltimore Ravens this year was about their defense. They gave up only 165 points in a 16-game season, which was the lowest amount given up in that length of a season of all time. Linebacker Ray Lewis was the leader of the defense, with defensive end Rob Burnett picking up a team-high 10.5 sacks, and defensive back Duane Starks picking off six passes.

The Ravens also had linebacker Peter Boulware, defensive tackles Sam Adams and Tony Siragusa, defensive backs Chris McAlister and Rod Woodson, and more. They were just teeming with talent on the defensive side of the ball.

On offense, the Ravens relied on running back Jamal Lewis, who rushed for over 1,300 yards and six touchdowns. The Ravens also had a backup in Priest Holmes whose potential was still untapped. Tight end Shannon Sharpe led the team in receiving with 67 catches for 810 yards. Qadry Ismail was the top wideout, going for 49 catches for 655 yards. Each receiver had five touchdowns.

As for the quarterback position, Tony Banks spent much of the year as the starter, but he was ineffective, posting a passer rating of 69.3 with eight interceptions to go with his eight touchdowns. Head coach Brian Billick inserted journeyman Trent Dilfer. He wasn’t much better, throwing 12 touchdowns against 11 interceptions, but he was a solid game manager. Interestingly, for all the grief the Ravens got for weak quarterbacking, the two starters combined for over 3,000 yards passing.

The Ravens started the season 5-1 with three shutouts, including one over the Steelers in Week 1. The Ravens then lost three straight games at midseason while scoring only 15 points combined. They got things together on offense under Dilfer, then went on to win their final seven games of the regular season and scored at least 24 points in all but one game.

They went into the playoffs as a 12-4 wild card. In the playoffs, the defense gave up only one touchdown in three games. They beat Denver 21-3 in the wild card round, division champion Tennessee 24-10 in the divisional round, and Oakland 16-3 in the AFC Championship Game. They were headed to the Super Bowl for the first time as a franchise; the NFL considers the Ravens a separate entity from the Cleveland Browns, who still have never gone to a Super Bowl.

As for the New York Giants, they started the season 7-2, before two straight losses had everyone questioning the future of this team. Head coach Jim Fassel confidently said, “this team is going to the playoffs.” They then played like a playoff team, winning their final five regular-season games to claim the #1 seed in the NFC at 12-4. The Giants got by Philadelphia 20-10 in the divisional round, before embarrassing the Minnesota Vikings 41-0 in the NFC Championship Game to clinch their first berth in the Super Bowl in ten years.

The Giants were led by quarterback Kerry Collins, who came over from Carolina and New Orleans to his third team. This was arguably his greatest season, although he did have a few similar seasons. He threw for over 3,600 yards and 22 touchdowns with only 13 interceptions, for a passer rating of 83.1.

Running back Tiki Barber ran for 1,000 yards and eight touchdowns and also caught 70 passes for over 700 yards, while receiver Amani Toomer went over 1,000 yards receiving and scored eight touchdowns, seven through the air. The Giants defense wasn’t as ballyhooed as the Ravens defense, but they did have defensive end Michael Strahan (9.5 sacks) and defensive back Jason Sehorn.

Super Bowl XXXV: First Quarter

Raiders legendary head coach Tom Flores tossed the coin to begin the game, and the Giants won and chose to receive. Giants returner Ron Dixon took back the kickoff to the 21. This began a series of three-and-outs to start the game. Neither offense could do much of anything, while both defenses were completely in control.

Collins almost had two of his first couple of passes intercepted, before going three-and-out. The teams traded punts four times before the Giants finally got something going on a drive. Collins hit receiver Ike Hilliard for 13 yards and a first down. That was it, though, and the Giants punted again.

Receiver Jermaine Lewis brought the punt back all the way to the Giants 22, though he got knocked back a bit due to a holding penalty. Two plays into the drive, Dilfer threw a long one for receiver Brandon Stokley, who caught it for a 38-yard touchdown. The Ravens went up 7-0, and to be honest, that was the game right there.

The Giants went three-and-out three more times between the first and second quarters. The Ravens were not much better. They fumbled a punt but recovered it after a loss of about ten yards. Strahan sacked Dilfer to end another drive. The struggles went back-and-forth, as Collins threw a pass that was tipped by Lewis and intercepted by linebacker Jamie Sharper.

Dilfer followed with a pick-six on the next play to linebacker Jessie Armstead, but it didn’t count. The Giants were called for holding on the play. The Ravens ended up punting once again.

Super Bowl XXXV: Second Quarter

Collins threw to Toomer for a 20-yard pass, then he hit Hilliard over the middle for a first down to get into Baltimore territory for the first time in this game. Ravens defensive end Keith Washington sacked Collins, though, and the Giants were forced to punt once more.

The Ravens then put together a drive. Dilfer threw to Stokley for seven yards, before going long for receiver Qadry Ismail for a 44-yard gain down the left sideline. After the two-minute warning, Dilfer threw to receiver Jermaine Lewis to get to the 30. After the play, there was a “loud disagreement” between the two teams, according to announcer Greg Gumbel. Kicker Matt Stover made a 47-yard field goal, making it 10-0.

The Giants drove downfield fast, with Collins throwing to Dixon for 16 yards, and handing off to Barber for a tackle-breaking run down inside the Ravens 30 for a first down. The Giants could have gone to the half with at least three points, but instead, Collins threw an interception to McAlister at the 2. The Ravens ran out the clock, and their lead sat at 10-0 through one half.

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    Super Bowl XXXV: Third Quarter

    Jermaine Lewis returned the opening kickoff of the second half to the 46, but it got called back on a holding penalty. Dilfer completed a pass to Stokley for a first down past the 30, but a sack by Strahan and defensive tackle Cornelius Griffin forced another punt.

    Collins got the ball back and threw to Hilliard for a first down across the 35. He was then sacked by defensive end Michael McCrary. On his next throw, defensive back Kim Herring picked him off.

    Meanwhile, Dilfer had to leave the game because of a thumb injury caused by the previous drive. Banks came into the game at quarterback, and he threw one pass that fell incomplete. Holmes took the Ravens down inside the 25, but Stover missed a 41-yard field goal-wide left that would have expanded the lead.

    After another three-and-out by New York, Dilfer came back into the game. He threw three incomplete passes and the Ravens were forced to kick it again. Collins immediately threw an interception to defensive back Duane Starks, who returned it all the way for a touchdown. That made it 17-0 in favor of the Ravens.

    After that came the most peculiar, thrilling, nonsensical part of any Super Bowl. Ron Dixon of the Giants took the next kickoff from his own 3 and went 97 yards for a touchdown. It was the fourth-longest kickoff return in Super Bowl history. That was immediately followed by Jermaine Lewis of the Ravens taking back a short kick 84 yards for a touchdown. The only thing I can really say about these returns is that they were fast.

    There weren’t many broken tackles, there was just a whole lot of speed. Dixon’s return gave the Giants new life and hope, only to have it all destroyed by the Ravens’ answering return. It was now 24-7, after three touchdowns in 36 seconds, and none of them offensive touchdowns.

    Super Bowl XXXV: Fourth Quarter

    The Giants went three-and-out to end the third quarter. The Ravens got one first down on a pass to tight end Ben Coates, then had to punt it back. New York started deep in their own territory after a Kyle Richardson punt down to the 8. Collins fumbled on second down, but the Giants kept possession inside their own 5. Brad Maynard punted, and the Ravens got the ball back at the Giants 38.

    Dilfer went back to Coates for 17 yards and a first down. Jamal Lewis ran the ball on four of the next five plays, with the other one being a New York penalty. He took the final one down the left sideline and extended the ball across the goal line. It was ruled a touchdown, but Fassel challenged it. After reviewing the play, the ruling on the field stood, and New York was charged a timeout. It was now 31-7.

    Dixon fumbled away a kickoff at his own 35, and that eliminated the final hopes New York had at making a comeback. The Ravens eventually kicked a 34-yard field goal to make it 34-7, then held on to that lead for the rest of the game. Baltimore had its first champion team since the 1970 Baltimore Colts!

    Super Bowl XXXV Aftermath and Awards

    Ray Lewis won MVP of this game simply because he was the leader of the defense, don’t get me wrong, and he could be considered a quarterback on defense. But I’m going to go with the punter for the second-best award in this game.

    Punter Kyle Richardson kicked it ten times, and a couple of those really pinned back the Giants and set up scores. There are lots of defensive players who deserve this honor as well, but since it’s so hard to pick between them, I’m going with the punter.

    The MVP for the losing Giants had to be Dixon. Yes, he fumbled away a return in the fourth quarter, but that was after the game had already been decided. His 97-yard kickoff return was sensational and one of the only good moments for New York on this day. As for Least Valuable Player, that’s easy.

    As much as I love him from being a Penn State alum (“WE ARE”), Kerry Collins threw four interceptions and no touchdowns, and a lot of those interceptions came at the worst possible time. Sadly, this was the only time he’d reach the Super Bowl. I could go with Tiki Barber, but at least he didn’t turn the ball over.

    The best player you don’t remember? How about defensive end Michael McCrary? He had a big sack and helped the Baltimore defensive line completely shut down the New York running game, while constantly getting pressure on Collins.

    As for the top play of this game, it had to have been Jermaine Lewis’s kickoff return to match Dixon’s. The Giants felt like they had new life, down 17-7. Their entire team was excited and pumped up. Then came Lewis’s return, and it was all over just like that.

    The biggest play you don’t remember is Collins’ interception right before the half. That one kind of gets lost in all the big plays in this game. That missed opportunity to make it 10-3 or even 10-7 pretty much doomed the Giants. You simply can’t have a turnover in that situation.

    Pop Quiz Answer

    The pop quiz question for today is: This Super Bowl set combined records for the most of what two categories?

    Answer: most punts and most kickoff returns for touchdowns. The teams combined for 21 punts, 11 by the Giants. And of course, no Super Bowl prior ever had two returns for touchdowns on kickoffs.

    Homework

    For homework this week, go with Storybook Season by the Baltimore Sun. Look over at AbeBooks.com for that one, as I couldn’t find it on Amazon. The Ravens were some team in 2000, but it’d take them 12 more years to get back to the Super Bowl.

    Next week, we tackle one of the greatest Super Bowls of all time: Super Bowl XXXVI, between the St. Louis Rams and the New England Patriots. This is the start of one dynasty and the end of the other. Look forward to it in two weeks. This is Tommy A. Phillips, and you can find all my books at tommyaphillips.com. Until then, so long!

    You can find all my books at tommyaphillips.com; I specifically suggest the Great Eighties and Nifty Nineties books. Later this year, there will be a third book on NFL decades, on the seventies. You won’t want to miss it. Until next time, this is Tommy A. Phillips, signing off. So long!

    Lombardi Memories is a show that takes you back in time, into January or February, to the greatest one-day spectacle in all of sports. This is the every-other-Tuesday podcast that looks back at each and every one of the 50-plus Super Bowls and tells the story of who won and why.  Tommy A. Phillips is your host on this Super Journey.  He’s an author of multiple NFL books.  You can purchase below.

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